CIRCULUS Clocks Are Like People (Rise Above) cd 16.98

MPEG Stream: "Dragon's Dance"
MPEG Stream: "Song Of Our Despair"
MPEG Stream: "Willow Tree"

CIRCULUS The Lick On The Tip Of An Envelope Yet To Be Sent (Candlelight) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Miri It Is"
MPEG Stream: "My Body Is Made Of Sunlight"

CIRCUS s/t (Esoteric Recordings) cd 23.00
Why are we highlighting this fairly obscure, UK prog/pop/jazz band's one-off album from 1969? For an AQ prog-pick this Circus reissue is not all that weird, it's not really heavy (though there's some moments of killer fuzz), not from some exotic locale, not "cosmic", not a lot of other things that we normally get off on regarding this genre of music, no, BUT it's one that we found very appealing regardless, when we first randomly encountered this record some years ago. It's simply a classy, enjoyable album from a bygone era, combining pleasant psych pop rock with the freeform exuberance of jazz improv. Generally laidback and melodic, it also grooves hard when it wants. We were probably initially won over by the way the album opens, with an awesomely fuzzed out (and also swingingly jazzy too, somehow) version of the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood". Especially towards the end of this lengthy jamming track, the guitarist really wails in full fuzz-garage fashion, while elsewhere non-sucky sax soloing is actually incorporated quite effectively. As Beatles covers go, it's a keeper, and almost alone worth the price of admission! That track is followed by the much mellower "Pleasures Of A Lifetime", and indeed as we said a lot of the rest of this album is rather laid back, with gentle vocals and a melancholic vibe, though some tracks boast funky flute and groovy percussion as well, not so melancholic those, more sunny really, even with a tropical island feel.
Another highlight is their version of "II B.S." by Charles Mingus. Again, a groovy launch pad for improv, which apparently was a big part of the live Circus show, whose performances of "II B.S." and "Norwegian Wood" each could stretch out for 20-30 minutes on stage we're told. (They clock in at 7:20 and 6:34 here, respectively.)
So it's neat that this has just been nicely reissued again, as it's a minor classic in a genre that doesn't really exist anymore (though there were a spate of SST bands in the '90s exploring some of the same jazz crossover elements, we're thinking of Hotel X in particular, who also covered "II B.S." on their debut A Random History Of The Avant-Groove in '93, but we digress). Anyway we'd recommend this to those that liked previous prog-picks of ours such as Bachdenkel and East Of Eden, NSU and Luv Machine. For fans of Caravan and King Crimson too - in fact, Circus features future King Crimson member Mel Collins on flute and tenor saxophone. You can definitely hear here why/how Collins would wind up in KC, playing on several of their early/mid period albums that had a sort of pastoral vibe to 'em. Collins' career actually started before Circus, and continued far beyond KC, his quite impressive c.v. including appearances over the years on a myriad of records from such diverse artists as Camel, Caravan, the Alan Parsons Project, the Rolling Stones, Eric Burdon, Baron Rojo, Dire Straits, Tears For Fears, David Sylvian, the Stray Cats, the Small Faces, Uriah Heep, Phil Lynott, the list goes on and on... In Circus, though, he's not just a sideman but definitely one of the stars, though the guitarist gets his share of the spotlight too!
MPEG Stream: "Norwegian Wood"
MPEG Stream: "Pleasures Of A Lifetime"
MPEG Stream: "II B.S."

CIRCUS DEVILS Harold Pig Memorial (Fading Captain / Recordhead) cd 15.98
Not surprisingly, the follow-up to the C.D.s' very well-received debut "Ringworm Interiors" has arrived swiftly. Why unsurprisingly? Well, because the man behind this group is none other than the more-than-prolific Robert Pollard. Revealing once again a wonderfully strange and trippy side with shades of Pere Ubu, Pink Floyd and Captain Beefheart, this is much less poppy and more off-kilter, noisy and eccentric. Mr. Pollard and brothers Todd and Tim Tobias take you by tha hand and lead you on their bizarre, psychedelic trek scattered with, among other things, wheezing church organs, watery pianos, and bristly guitars. Listening to Circus Devils can be quite akin to finding yourself in an altered state -chemically or otherwise induced. Sounds and voices are slightly tweaked and distorted, time is skewed, and you'll find these 44 minutes are over all too soon. Recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Discussions In The Cave"
RealAudio clip: "The Harold Pig Memorial"

CIRCUS DEVILS Pinball Mars (Fading Captain / Recordhead) cd 14.98
If you 'sort of' like Guided By Voices, but they're just a little too poppy or Beatle-esque for you, then maybe the Circus Devils is the band you've been waiting for. Featuring uber-prolific GBV mainman Robert Pollard on vocals, the Circus Devils are truly the handiwork of brothers Tim and Todd Tobias, and the sonic world they inhabit is anything but poppy. Its a murky, effects laden, psychedelic underworld of fuzzy guitars, thrashing drums, groovy riffs and howled vocals. Grungy and heavy and very druggy, but of course, in a decidedly lo-fi manner. Pollard sounds as un-Pollard like as he ever has, wailing and belting it out big time. In fact the first track sounds quite a bit like Alice In Chains (!), even the vocals. Especially the vocals. All gloomy riffs and dramatic minor key melancholia. This is apparently some sort of rock opera, with the lyrics all divided into lines by different characters, but as far as we can tell, Pollard plays all the parts. While there are still some definite melodic GBV style tracks, this might be a little raw and tripped out for all but the truly dedicated/daring Guided By Voices fan. But it might just be the deciding factor for the GBV doubters out there, and might also surprise some of you psych-rock lovers out there as well.
MPEG Stream: "Are You Out With Me?"
MPEG Stream: "Gargoyle City"

CIRCUS DEVILS Ringworm Interiors (Fading Captain / Recordhead) cd 15.98
New project from Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices... and it's great, probably the best thing he's done in years. Thank goodness! We were afraid he'd lost it, y'know. The guy is so prolific that it's hard to keep up the enthusiasm when the quality of his recent work has been, to put it nicely, inconsistent. But lemme tell ya, he paired up with the right band this time, brothers Todd and Tim Tobias (anybody know from these guys?), who inject the GBV jangly indie sound with adrenaline, distortion, kick ass energy, and *noise*. Actually the only relation to GBV here is Pollard's delivery, cos the music is completely different. When Pollard isn't singing, the Tobiases take over with howls and yowls of pure instrumental ferocity. Parts of it are angular and arty, like Gang of Four or Wire. Sometimes there's a Stooges-like hollow roar, sometimes it's a metallic blast of Pere Ubu-style Cleveland punk... 28 short sharp snapshot songs in 42 minutes. Excellent.
(We also have the LP for 14.98, although this is probably limited.)
RealAudio clip: "Feel Try Fury"
RealAudio clip: "Spectacle"
RealAudio clip: "Lizard Food"
RealAudio clip: "Knife Song"

CIRCUS DEVILS Ringworm Interiors (Fading Captain / Recordhead) lp 14.98
One of last list's "Records of the Week", now on vinyl!
New project from Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices... and it's great, probably the best thing he's done in years. Thank goodness! We were afraid he'd lost it, y'know. The guy is so prolific that it's hard to keep up the enthusiasm when the quality of his recent work has been, to put it nicely, inconsistent. But lemme tell ya, he paired up with the right band this time, brothers Todd and Tim Tobias (anybody know from these guys?), who inject the GBV jangly indie sound with adrenaline, distortion, kick ass energy, and *noise*. Actually the only relation to GBV here is Pollard's delivery, cos the music is completely different. When Pollard isn't singing, the Tobiases take over with howls and yowls of pure instrumental ferocity. Parts of it are angular and arty, like Gang of Four or Wire. Sometimes there's a Stooges-like hollow roar, sometimes it's a metallic blast of Pere Ubu-style Cleveland punk... 28 short sharp snapshot songs in 42 minutes. Excellent.
RealAudio clip: "Feel Try Fury"
RealAudio clip: "Spectacle"
RealAudio clip: "Lizard Food"
RealAudio clip: "Knife Song"

CIRCUS DEVILS, THE Five (Fading Captain) cd 14.98
A slow soothing glide of string sounds opens Circus Circus Devils' fourth full length (yes, despite what you might assume from the title, this is not the fifth album!), but that's just their gentle way of easing you into the often bizarre, frequently cacaphonous world that Robert Pollard and Todd Tobias roam. If you're unfamiliar with Circus Devils (but dig the pop stylings of Robert Pollard and his former band Guided By Voices) we should forewarn you that this is definitely much more obtuse and downright strange than Pollard's other projects. That said, we totally dig 'em. In fact, their first album released back in 2001 was a particular fave around here (it was an AQ Record Of The Week). With the blurts of noisy guitar feedback, aggressive drumming, unstructured picked guitar lines, and slurred vocals that drift in and out of focus as if Pollard is talking/shouting in his sleep, this is just as weirdly wonderful. Oh yeah, and for those of you who are counting, this is #34 of the Fading Captain Series.
MPEG Stream: "Dog Licking Baby"
MPEG Stream: "Eyes Reload"

CIRITH UNGOL Frost And Fire (Metal Blade) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While supplies last, cheap copies of the first two Cirith Ungol classics, Frost And Fire (1981) and King Of The Dead (1984)! True heavy metal cult material here, epic, rockin' and Elric-style doomed.

CIRITH UNGOL King Of The Dead (Metal Blade) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While supplies last, cheap copies of the first two Cirith Ungol classics, Frost And Fire (1981) and King Of The Dead (1984)! True heavy metal cult material here, epic, rockin' and Elric-style doomed.

CITAY Dream Get Together (Dead Oceans) cd 14.98
It's been a couple years since Citay's great sophomore outing Little Kingdom, and since then the band has experienced significant lineup changes which included the loss of former guitarist Jesse Reiner who left to concentrate on his awesome new band Jonas Reinhardt. Luckily Citay mastermind Ezra Feinberg was able to get some bigtime heavy hitters to become part of this new incarnation of Citay including virtuoso guitarist Sean Smith and the multitalented and super-prolific Josh Pollock (3 Leafs, Auricle, etc.), joining the already present guitar powerhouse that is Tim Green, who was the original cohort of Feinberg when Citay was first born.
So while this is in some ways a more beefed up and full sounding Citay, the elements that made us fall in love with them in the first place still shine so bright. Their ability to create songs that feel epic yet never indulgent. The way they are able to inhabit so many worlds at once while never feeling disjointed. Citay truly are a gateway band. They can lead you to heavier psychedelia, they can show you the intricacy and dreaminess of West Coast pop, they can take you to the woods, the sky, the forest, and the backyard yet every turn they take feels so right and true to their own unique vision.
Dream Get Together has a rushing current of lush and full sounds that makes you want to blast it so loud and just get swept up in its sound. Long passages without vocals that let their wide arrange of instrumentation take center stage and then Feinberg's wonderful expansive vocal delivery adds another layer of depth to the experience. Meryl Press and Thaliah Harbour add their beautiful voices throughout, maintaining that awesome balance of masculine/feminine that has been such a refreshing aspect of Citay's sound. There is also a really nice guest vocal by Merril Garbus of Tune-Yards. Citay really have carved out such an instantly recognizable and unique sound that is so much all their own. We could tell you that Dream Get Together kind of sounds like Heart hijacked by Robert Fripp and Dungen, but the truth is Citay continue to create music that has its feet in so many musical worlds that the sound they've created is undeniably deep and exists entirely in their own wonderful world. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Careful With That Hat"
MPEG Stream: "Dream Get Together"
MPEG Stream: "Mirror Kisses"

CITAY Little Kingdom (Dead Oceans) cd 14.98
It's quite remarkable that only two records into their existence Citay have managed to carve out a sound that is so instantaneously recognizable and distinctive. With their soaring guitars, glorious melodies and harmonies that sound as if they're raining down from the sky, this ensemble led by Ezra Feinberg has quickly become one of the shining lights of the San Francisco music scene, but we think that folks from all over the globe should be hearing them, so they too can be swept away by Citay's carefully crafted songs.
Little Kingdom is the follow up to their debut which was a unanimous AQ favorite when it came out around two years back. With a similar sound and feel as that first outing they have widened their reach as the songs descend with a much more expansive quality. Brimming with a crisp sensation Little Kingdom is matching our autumnal mood so perfectly.
We love how Citay always sound so monumental without resorting to the typical quiet...quiet...loud...eruption formula that so many post-rock groups use when they want to sound grand. What makes Citay so great is that they don't TRY to sound grand or monumental, it's just that the songs they make require a presentation that the band understand so well and do so effortlessly. Little Kingdom makes us want to run into leaves and feel the wind rushing against our skin, whisking us away, the sounds of the strings on guitars summoning us to a greater place!
MPEG Stream: "Eye On The Dollar"
MPEG Stream: "Little Kingdom"
MPEG Stream: "On The Wings"

CITAY Little Kingdom (Important) lp 16.98
NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!
It's quite remarkable that only two records into their existence Citay have managed to carve out a sound that is so instantaneously recognizable and distinctive. With their soaring guitars, glorious melodies and harmonies that sound as if they're raining down from the sky, this ensemble led by Ezra Feinberg has quickly become one of the shining lights of the San Francisco music scene, but we think that folks from all over the globe should be hearing them, so they too can be swept away by Citay's carefully crafted songs.
Little Kingdom is the follow up to their debut which was a unanimous AQ favorite when it came out around two years back. With a similar sound and feel as that first outing they have widened their reach as the songs descend with a much more expansive quality. Brimming with a crisp sensation Little Kingdom is matching our autumnal mood so perfectly.
We love how Citay always sound so monumental without resorting to the typical quiet...quiet...loud...eruption formula that so many post-rock groups use when they want to sound grand. What makes Citay so great is that they don't TRY to sound grand or monumental, it's just that the songs they make require a presentation that the band understand so well and do so effortlessly. Little Kingdom makes us want to run into leaves and feel the wind rushing against our skin, whisking us away, the sounds of the strings on guitars summoning us to a greater place!
MPEG Stream: "Eye On The Dollar"
MPEG Stream: "Little Kingdom"
MPEG Stream: "On The Wings"

CITAY Remixes (Dead Oceans) lp 17.98

CITAY s/t (Important) cd 15.98
Wow! We haven't been this excited about a new project in quite a while. Citay is a new band created by Ezra Feinberg (occasional contributor to Piano Magic) along with Tim Green (The Fucking Champs, and about a million other projects). What an amazing exercise in how you can take from influences that have been exhausted by so many in all the wrong ways yet somehow find a way to discover the gold that's never been mined before. According to Feinberg, Citay is influenced by Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Queen, and Heart...but wait don't think this is about irony or played-out 70's rock worship. Citay get to the blissed out acoustic moments of the above mentioned bands (think Queen II, Sabbath Vol.4) to create something that sounds so fresh, breezy and full of the right kind of dirt and sunlight. With an onslaught of guitars (mostly acoustic and including some 12 strings), nice textural sounds created by mandolin, flute, organ, piano, vibes and a an overall sound that is hard to talk about without using really over the top words like...perfect! They nailed how this kind of record should sound. The guitars are so sweeping yet intimate, the vocals seep into your skin and all of a sudden it feels like the longest summer day ever, the kind that you never want to end. We can't stop listening to this and each time we do, all we can think about is finding our old huffy and riding through dirt lots as the sun shimmers down on us and we pedal through twilight. So totally recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Nice Cuffs"
MPEG Stream: "Seasons Don't Fear The Year"
MPEG Stream: "Sticks"

CITAY s/t (Frenetic) lp 11.98
NOW ON VINYL thanks to our friends at Frenetic...
Wow! We haven't been this excited about a new project in quite a while. Citay is a new band created by Ezra Feinberg (occasional contributor to Piano Magic) along with Tim Green (The Fucking Champs, and about a million other projects). What an amazing exercise in how you can take from influences that have been exhausted by so many in all the wrong ways yet somehow find a way to discover the gold that's never been mined before. According to Feinberg, Citay is influenced by Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Queen, and Heart...but wait don't think this is about irony or played-out 70's rock worship. Citay get to the blissed out acoustic moments of the above mentioned bands (think Queen II, Sabbath Vol.4) to create something that sounds so fresh, breezy and full of the right kind of dirt and sunlight. With an onslaught of guitars (mostly acoustic and including some 12 strings), nice textural sounds created by mandolin, flute, organ, piano, vibes and a an overall sound that is hard to talk about without using really over the top words like...perfect! They nailed how this kind of record should sound. The guitars are so sweeping yet intimate, the vocals seep into your skin and all of a sudden it feels like the longest summer day ever, the kind that you never want to end. We can't stop listening to this and each time we do, all we can think about is finding our old huffy and riding through dirt lots as the sun shimmers down on us and we pedal through twilight. So totally recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Nice Cuffs"
MPEG Stream: "Seasons Don't Fear The Year"
MPEG Stream: "Sticks"

CITIES s/t (Yep Roc) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "A Theme"
MPEG Stream: "Capitol"
MPEG Stream: "Lakes"

CITIES LAST BROADCAST The Cancelled Earth (Cyclic Law) cd 13.98
Housed in a cryptic and totally beautiful oversized booklet, the sounds within the dolefully monickered Cities Last Broadcast's likewise doleful The Cancelled Earth conjure an atmosphere of post-industrial hopelessness where you, the engaged listener, are the only human being left amidst seepia-toned urban decay. Empty, dilapidated buildings with broken windows sprawled out across a dusky horizon of condensed nothingness stand without any distinction as the city takes in its final gasps. Strange, creaking sounds, and washes of gauzy atmosphere creep out like a fog, cloaking everything in a thick, inescapable grime.
The work of Swede Par Bostrom, who also makes music in a project called Kammarheit, The Cancelled Earth is a collection of pieces recorded between 1999 and 2008. Though quite bleak, the songs move as if they are alive, albeit dying, like some sort of creature sticking its head out of the rubble to emotionlessly assess the end of a society. Hey, we'll be there soon enough. The swaying soundscapes may appeal to those who familiar with Gavin Bryars' The Sinking of the Titanic, while they also bring to mind the murky ambiance of Wolfgang Voigt's Gas, without any sort of rhythmic propulsion, the movement of the pieces instead resembling a once mighty machine simply shutting down from old age and neglect. Though desolate as all hell, The Cancelled Earth is also quite beautiful and perfect listening for long, lonely nights...
MPEG Stream: "Cornerstone"
MPEG Stream: "Antenna "

CITIZEN FISH Third Psychological Background Report (Bluurg) cd-r 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Just in, straight from the source (yup, CF bassist Jasper brought these in to us), Citizen Fish have just issued their third collection of odds'n'ends on cd-r (the previous two were released on cassette). Not to be mistaken for their newest album out now on Honest Don's, this is a self-released mish mash of styles and wit and sound quality from these UK ska punk vets who're still at it a decade after rising from the ashes of the UK's Subhumans.
RealAudio clip: "Silvery Car"
RealAudio clip: "Corky Dog"

CITY CENTER s/t (Type) cd 15.98
We all were really excited when we saw that Animal Collective had picked Grouper to open their tour, how cool that Grouper's dreamy and hazy sounds would reach so many new ears at all of their sold out shows. While it might not seem like an obvious match, we think there is much in Panda Bear's aesthetic that drew him and the rest of his gang to Grouper's daydream delights. Enter City Center, who we first heard on a split 7" with Grouper and who to our ears sound a lot like a much more slowed down and blissed out and dreamy Panda Bear. While using similar sounds and ideas, tons of reverb and the same sort of repetition that made the Panda Bear album so unique, City Center never reaches the same kind of ecstatic boiling point, instead keeping things in more understated and lingering. Like the perfect foggy Sunday morning or lazy laid back late night soundtrack, the sound of City Center floats and flows with such ease. Fred Thomas, better known for his band Saturday Looks Good To me, will probably now end up being more well known for City Center, building from his indie-pop roots into something a bit more atmospheric. Nice.
MPEG Stream: "Killer Whale"
MPEG Stream: "Summer School"

CITY OF CHURCHES Memelust (Eolian) 7" 3.50
What might you expect from a group featuring members of doomdrone heavyweights Trees and Tecumseh? Something slow and low and lumbering... Probably, us too, but City Of Churches is anything but. Not slow, or low, or lumbering, instead, Memelust is 63 tracks (yep 63 tracks on a 7") of super hyper spastic tech-grind insanity. Some songs are literally one second long, a single harsh guitar-drums-shriek burst, others sprawl to 5 or 6 seconds, a few even longer, those 'extended' tracks jam way too many parts into way too little space, so each blast is a bursting at the seams micro-blowout of chaotic screamo grind fury.
The sound is so short and sharp, the songs so jagged and fragmented, that at times, when there are 5 or 6 2 second long tracks in a row, it almost sounds like someone is just fucking around with the volume knob, turning it down, then up, then down, and up again, creating the briefest of shards from a larger grinding whole. But that is not the case, these are all actual tracks, songs even... some improvised, others composed using an invented system of musical notation! City Of Churhes has been described as 'brutal prog', we might alter it a bit to GRIND-prog, equal parts Harry Pussy, Naked City, Napalm Death, Anal Cunt, Brutal Truth... we could go on, but you get the drift, this is about as UN-easy as un-easy listening gets. A dizzying onslaught of total grinding metallic fuck-you-up.
Packaged in gorgeous hand screened black and white and yellow on heavy cardstock sleeves, with a printed insert. LIMITED TO 500 COPIES!!!

CITY OF GHOSTS (VARIOUS ARTISTS, SOUNDTRACK) (Lakeshore) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This Matt Dillon directed mystery/thriller set in Cambodia looks like a real dog. Well, we haven't seen it yet, so less said about it the better... HOWEVER, the soundtrack to City of Ghosts is really, really good!
As our customer RP who turned us onto this wrote: "Great music from a so-so film. Features Dengue Fever (used over closing credits) covering 'Both Sides Now' [which does not appear on their album]. Also a boatload of great Cambodian 60's garage pop (probably similar to Cambodian Rocks) including three tracks from the goddess of Cambodian garage, Ros Serey Sothea. There's also a smattering of French pop, ancient country blues, and old-timey Hawaiian music. But the real star of the show is the great Cambodian pop stuff."
We concur! Beyond a slight problem in mastering levels (you'll have to wield the volume knob occasionally), this is simply a very well chosen comp of material -- works perfectly as a listen straight through, like a fantastic mixtape. And the eclecticism of the material is smart and challenging. *Highly* recommended.
MPEG Stream: DENGUE FEVER "Both Sides Now"
MPEG Stream: JACQUES DUTRONC "Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi"
MPEG Stream: CHOUN MALAI "Love Pillow"

CJA Armada (Pseudo Arcana) 3" cd-r 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
CJA is one half of the NZ noise rock outfit Armpit that we raved about a few lists back. This 3" twenty minute blast starts off with a Sunn-ish slow-motion guitars-against-amps-feedback drone and soon dissipates into ambient shimmer, buzzing guitar hum with metronomic cymbal splatters, slow dour jangle, and strummed and miserable song fragments reminiscent of eighties NZ pop. Really nice.
MPEG Stream: "Track Two"

CJA Ironclad (Last Visible Dog) cd 12.98
Clayton Noone, aka CJA, has a long and varied history in the New Zealand underground free-rock scene. He's been making an unholy racket for years, is also one half of Armpit as well as a member of avant new wavers the Futurians. But Ironclad, a reissue of a long out of print cd-r, is probably his prettiest, and quietest record. And probably our favorite! A stumbling, shambling, purposefully strummed, sun dappled, reverb soaked, warbly voiced slab of simple and simply lovely bedroom folk. The guitars quiver and waver, barely in tune, creating shimmery folk rock frameworks, which in turn support subtle distant melodies, occasional flanged electric guitar, slurred emotional vocals, all hushed and mournful, dreamy and minimal. Notes climb warily from the strings and assemble themselves into repetitive figures, pulsing and drifting tentatively earward. CJA sounds a bit like Alastair Galbraith after a night of hard drugs and too much drink, holed up in the corner of his living room on a sweltering summer day, with the shades drawn tight, shafts of sunlight sneaking through the blinds, every mote of dust illuminated like a tiny musical note drifting to the ground. The guitar, the hiss of the four track and the murky remnants of the night before becoming one drifting dreamy dolorous set of notes, picked carefully one by one, becoming a sublty sleepy soundscape of bliss and beatitude.
MPEG Stream: "2:23"
MPEG Stream: "3:14"
MPEG Stream: "5:05"

CJA Pink Metal (Pseudo Arcana) 2cd-r 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We love CJA, aka Clayton Noone, aka one half of New Zealand free rock combo Armpit as well as a member of weirdo new wavers the Futurians. CJA releases have varied considerably in tone and texture, from dark and contemplative dreamy drone, to more corrosive free and furious noise. We weren't really sure what to expect with this, the latest from CJA, a massive double cd-r called Pink Metal, wrapped in a super goofy garish hand drawn heavy metal style handmade sleeve. We were super psyched, imagining it might be some demented Kiwi freaked out what-the-fuck blast of damaged metal, and while it is heavy at times, and could most definitely be considered metallic in places, the 'metal' of Pink Metal has much more in common with bands like SUNNO))) and countrymen Black Boned Angel. And those chunk of metallic pummel are spread out, and scattered amidst all sorts of other strange sounds and mysterious soundscapes.
The opening track on disc one starts things off in a distinctly non-metallic style, it's all dark and quiet, expansive and shimmering, guitars unwinding into lazy drawn out swoons and shimmers, skeletal melodies spread out over barely there ambience. But the second track quickly sets things right, a sort of ultra lo-fi Godflesh style industrial trudge, huge booming trash can lid percussion, over murky muddy downtuned riffing. Not so much heavy as it is intense and relentless. But before you know it, Noone switches back to acoustic guitar strum, weaving a folky little interlude before shifting into a strange stuttering guitarscape, hypnotic and repetitive. There are a few brief blasts of buzzed out riffage, crumbling and thick, caustic and dense, but for the most part, Noone veers between haunting folk flecked lo-fi deconstructed pop and abstract ambient drone music, only peppering it with chunks of grainy heaviness. 
The second disc is a similarly dizzying sonic spectrum, beginning with a cool, super tense, weirdly dramatic solo guitar drone, but instead of low end rumble, it's crashing drawn out chords, distorted and melodic, repetitive, and overlapping, riffs pulled apart into slabs of melodic sound, before coalescing near the end into a killer hook. Then we're off again, fractured twee folk, stumbling lo-fi strum and clatter, thick swells of industrial whir, Dead C style chaotic murky noisiness, finishing off with an extended low end hiss drenched slab of grinding, growling, throbbing, super distorted pummel, complete with sludge riffing and propulsive buried in the mix drumming. As always, awesome!
Packaged in an oversized thick paper, black, white and purple multi page booklet, adorned with awesome high school binder heavy metal / Dungeons And Dragons imagery, huge muscled demon warriors, swords and maces, and slain foes laying heaps on the ground, strange fiery aliens, Silver Surfer like creatures firing lazers from their fingertips, spike headed beasts, samurai warriors, cloaked demons, dragons, and growling wolf beasts, ultra violence, and decapitations, skeletons, zombies, ninjas and more. All black and white, but with all the text in a garish bright purple (or pink maybe it's meant to be), blood dripping metal font. The cds housed in plastic sleeves affixed to the insides of the front and back covers.
This came out a while ago, and  it was of course pretty limited to start with. We have a bunch, but there's a definite chance that once these are gone we won't be able to get more...
MPEG Stream: "Totxt"
MPEG Stream: "Skull Probe"
MPEG Stream: "Mean Ancient Heavy Industry"

CJA The Tank 1993-2000 (Pink Skulls) cd-r 11.98
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CJA Vintermanederne (Celestial Jars) cd-r 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We found a stash of these, and realized once again, that we hadn't listed these yet, it came out last year, and is now WELL out of print, so these are the last 8 or 9 copies we'll ever get.
CJA for those who don't already know is Clayton Noone, who also plays in aQ faves Armpit and NZ new wavers the Futurians. On past solo joints, Noone offered up a stumbling lo-fi bedroom folk, rife with all sorts of random noise and random production fuckery, and Vintermanederne follows a similar course, but manages to be even more abstract.
The opener is a 20 minute sprawl, that seems to be mostly field recordings of rainfall, occasionally interrupted by fragments of fractured lo-fi folk, underpinned by distant shimmer, which eventually builds to a roar (maybe that's the wind whipping by the microphone), before slipping back into some sort of murky dronemusic, ending with some folky flutter and still more rainfall. The second track is much more straight ahead, simple acoustic guitar, and sweet crooned vocals, soft downer bedroom folk for sure, really quite pretty. The record finished off with some lo-fi indie jangle, muted electric guitar, a gorgeous vocal mantra, all very reminiscent of Alastair Galbraith, before some percussion enters the mix, and song spreads out growing gradually more and more abstract.
Fans of Galbraith, Milton, Noone, Horton, Carter will definitely dig, and there's enough field recording sound manipulation weirdness to keep it interesting for the free-noise cd-r set.
And again, already OUT OF PRINT, these are the last copies ever.
MPEG Stream: "Winter Months"
MPEG Stream: "Wastelands"

CLANDESTINE BLAZE / DEATHSPELL OMEGA split (Northern Heritage) cd 15.98
Finally back in stock!
Even though one band is from France, and the other is from Finland, you couldn't ask for a more perfect pairing. This split was originally released in 2001, and only recently was repressed so we could get enough to list, unfortunately it seems to already be out of print again so the 30 or so we got will most likely be the last for a while.
Finland's Clandestine Blaze specialize in ultra primitive black metal, paying homage to Bathory, Beherit, Darkthrone and the like, with buzzy sludgy riffs, thrashing and blasting mostly, but occasionally slowing down to a near doomy crawl. Their sound a buzzing murky blur, so much so that when they're not plodding along like Celtic Frost at 16rpm their black metal bombast smears into a gloriously hypnotic blur.
Clandestine Blaze are paired up here with Deathspell Omega in (appropriately) their earlier, more raw incarantion. DSO spew forth their buzzing blackened thrash, very much like the other DSO reissues, raw and grim on the surface, but with plenty of subtle compositional and sonic irregularites right below the surface, adding a definite depth not found in lots of similar musics and a hauntingingly unlikely catchiness very rarely (if at all) found in any black metal.
So good!!
MPEG Stream: CLANDESTINE BLAZE "Will To Kill"
MPEG Stream: DEATHSPELL OMEGA "The Suicide Curse"

CLANDESTINE BLAZE Church Of Atrocity (Northern Heritage) cd 15.98
Latest blast of audial mayhem from Finland's grim buzz horde Clandestine Blaze. People around here forget what a metal stronghold Finland is. It's not all faeries and forests and drum circles and acoustic guitars. There is a serious black cloud hanging over the land. As is demonstrated by the various black minions who call Finland home. It's strange, for being one of our favorite BM outfits, we've actually never reviewed a Clandestine Blaze record before (not counting the split with Deathspell Omega), thankfully, this new one is as good if not better than any of the other CB releases. Frontman Mikko Aspa in addition to being the single soul behind CB, is also a member of Finnish ultra doomsters Fleshpress, and strangely enough, also sings for AQ faves Deathspell Omega.
But Clandestine Blaze is not doom, nor avant black metal, no this is old school black buzz, grim and frosty, primitive and necro.
Each track is based around a single riff, played over and over, inducing a glorious trancelike state, the guitars relentlessly buzzing, the riffing so drenched in reverb that the notes wash into each other becoming one long buzzing drone, the vocals a hellish croak, dripping with FX as well. This is true black metal for sure, but as with a lot of that stuff, a purity of vision often produces unintended sonic results, much like isolation, a sound develops, that while at it's root is indeed pure and true, contains elements that gradually seep in to the sound. Usually making the music even more special and unique. Such is the case for sure with CB, while a cursory listen reveals a simple buzzing black metal, closer listening reveals mysterious depths, layers upon layers, arrangements that coalesce into strange shapes. A perfect example is the 12 minute long, midtempo centerpiece "Ashes Of The Eternal Wanderer", a completely hypnotic blackened blur, the guitars and drums buzzing into a thick snarling drone, almost dreamlike at times, which is one of the reasons we love the buzz of black metal so much, that trancey dronelike element, and that is all over Church Of Atrocity. It's not so much about the riffs, or the arrangements, it's the sound, a whirling buzzing blackness that wraps your head in a dark cloud, fills your ears with black buzz and carries you off...
But heck, don't let all this high falutin' talk of drones and purity of vision, scare you off, Church Of Atrocity is just as enjoyable as a simple blown out chunk of brutal old school blackness! Either way, highly recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Church Of Atrocity"
MPEG Stream: "Ashes Of The Eternal Wanderer"

CLANDESTINE BLAZE Deliverers Of Faith (Northern Heritage) cd 14.98

CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH s/t (self-released) cd 14.98
Eccentric, folksy, retro-tinged pop is all around us these days. Following in the footsteps of fine bands such as Hidden Cameras, Frog Eyes, Architecture In Helsinki and Arcade Fire, here's one of the latest bands to be causing a minor ruckus (and for once, it's not a Canadian band! haha!). This release hasn't been easy to get a hold of. Folks have been feverishly requesting it for weeks, but we've only just recently been able to track down the self-released, very sparsely distributed and not so readily available cd. So what's the fuss all about? We shrug. While we can certainly see the appeal in their very 'now' sound, when we put the disc on for a spin, our reaction was nothing short of tepid (there were even some groans). In the first couple of tracks, there's some very Television styled, emotively yelped vocals, but overall, it's as if Clap Your Hands, Say Yeah randomly picked the Talking Heads and The Violent Femmes from the pool of '80s bands, and fused the voices of David Byrne and Gordon Gano into that ubiquitous clunked-art-dance-punk sound. We'd recommend first visiting the music of the far superior bands mentioned above before heading in the direction of CYHSY.
MPEG Stream: "Let The Cool Goddess Rust Away"
MPEG Stream: "Upon This Tidal Wave Of Young Blood"

CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH Some Loud Thunder (self-released) cd 14.98
When talk of this band comes up in conversation, some folks around here do indeed clap their hands and say "Yeah!" Others cross their arms and say "Meh." Some make a fist and say "Fuck no!" And still others simply scratch their heads and wonder what the fuss is all about. Sooo, with whom will you be sharing your Valentine's sweets this year? Not sure? Well, perhaps the new self-released album from these exclamatory tweaked popsters will help you decide. A sizable deciding factor definitely seems to be band leader Alec Ounsworth's winsome vocals which might be endearingly nasal in a David Byrne sort of way to some, and shrilly whining to others. Produced by Dave Fridmann, Some Loud Thunder is the sophomore release by this Brooklyn, NY quintet.
MPEG Stream: "Satan Said Dance"
MPEG Stream: "Underwater (You And Me)"

CLAPP, ALLAN Something Strange Happens: Four-Track Forecasts By Allen Clapp 1990-2000 (Busstop) cd 16.98
Each and every one of Allen Clapp's songs exude a wide-eyed earnestness. Here's seventeen of 'em for you to cuddle up to! This was *the* indie pop sound of the early '90s -- sweet, pretty, strummy jangle guitars and boyish vocals filled with adorable charm. He was the male counterpart to Amelia Fletcher (of Heavenly, Talulah Gosh and Marine Research) or Rose Melberg (of The Softies, Go Sailor and Tiger Trap). The forecast here is nuthin' but sunshine and sweethearts!
MPEG Stream: "Something Strange Happens"
MPEG Stream: "The Way I Feel Today"

CLARINET THING Agony Pipes And Misery Sticks (C + P BC Records) cd 12.98
Wonderful! Clarinet Thing is the collaborative project starring five formidable pillars of the SF jazz community -- Beth Custer, Ben Goldberg, Sheldon Brown, Peter Josheff and Ralph Carney. Yes, as you might've guessed, they all play a variety of clarinets masterfully, and their incredibly expressive performances are captured beautifully on these live recordings. So warm and crisp, you wouldn't know they were performing in a 'live' setting until the audience voices their appreciative applause at the end. The seventeen tracks on Agony Pipes And Misery Sticks document the group's fifteen years of reeded sister'n'brotherhood, and what a consistent delightful document it is!
MPEG Stream: "Sweeping Staircase"
MPEG Stream: "The Lips That Kissed The Paper"

CLARINETTE Transmuting Fall (Celebrate Psi Phenomenon) cd-r 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Listening to Clarinette, is kind of like listening to a speed metal band called Tuba, or some intense drum and bass DJ called Piccolo. You're just gonna have your head spun if you're expecting the band to sound like the name. Several years after releasing an lp on Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace label, Clarinette aka Dan Vallor returns with a weird and wild, sonically expansive cd-r for Campbell Kneale's Celebrate Psi Phenomenon label. This is beautiful challenging stuff, all over the place, but no hint of clarinets that's for sure....
Gorgeous heavily affected solo piano, crumbly, grimy slabs of distorted fuzz chopped and delivered in strange stuttery melodies, fuzzy lo-fi drones, angular free jazz piano freakouts, gentle pastoral almost new age soundscapes of piano and lots and lots of echo, in fact we're tempted to think Mr. Vallor is in fact a piano player. This could be like George Winston and Cecil Taylor getting together, dropping acid and playing through a very bad trip, jamming with some equally doped up noiserock friends. The whole thing a tripped out, druggy and dreamy soundscape, all wrapped in pillows of thick reverb and every note dipped in ECHO and flung into the musical pond sending out ripples that go on forever. SUPER LIMITED AS ALWAYS!! NOT SURE WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET MORE WHEN THESE ARE GONE!
MPEG Stream: "Parallel Lines"
MPEG Stream: "A Shining Cord"

CLARK Ted (Warp) cd ep 10.98
Over the years Clark (aka Chris Clark) has proven to be one of the most reliable and pleasing artists on the Warp label as many of the label's bigger electronic names have been a bit spotty in their productivity and prowess in recent years. While Clark still might not have the same high visibility and name recognition as folks like Squarepusher, Plaid and Aphex Twin, we have to say that while he may have been influenced by all those guys, these days he seems to be creating sounds way more interesting than any of his influences, making him one of the best bets in the world of modern electronica. Ted is the follow up e.p. to Body Riddle, one of the best electronic records of the last few years and one we think was sadly overlooked by most. Ted is the single from that record and also includes a stellar remix by Bibio and four new tracks that continue to demonstrate Clark's amazing exploration of beautiful skittering color soaked washed out sounds. Very nice!
MPEG Stream: "Ted (Bibio Remix)"
MPEG Stream: "Springtime Epiphany"

CLARK Totems Flare (Warp) cd 14.98
Clark put out one of the best and sadly overlooked electronic albums of last year, Turning Dragon. A high adrenaline rush of colorful spazzed out electronic perfection. Totems Flare finds Clark adding vocals to the mix on a few tracks (with varied results) and while we're not as much in love with this album as we were with his previous outings, Totems Flare still has plenty of crunchy, glitchy, color that pops out of our speakers and here and there REALLY hits the spot. In many ways Totems Flare has a sound reminiscent of Go Plastic era Squarepusher and it certainly is the most vintage Warp sounding record to come out on that label in a long time. And actually, the more we play this, the more we find ourselves getting into it. Check it out...
MPEG Stream: "Growls Garden"
MPEG Stream: "Look Into The Heart Now"

CLARK Totems Flare (Warp) 2x12" 23.00
Clark put out one of the best and sadly overlooked electronic albums of last year, Turning Dragon. A high adrenaline rush of colorful spazzed out electronic perfection. Totems Flare finds Clark adding vocals to the mix on a few tracks (with varied results) and while we're not as much in love with this album as we were with his previous outings, Totems Flare still has plenty of crunchy, glitchy, color that pops out of our speakers and here and there REALLY hits the spot. In many ways Totems Flare has a sound reminiscent of Go Plastic era Squarepusher and it certainly is the most vintage Warp sounding record to come out on that label in a long time. And actually, the more we play this, the more we find ourselves getting into it. Check it out...
MPEG Stream: "Growls Garden"
MPEG Stream: "Look Into The Heart Now"

CLARK Turning Dragon (Warp) cd 15.98
A few years ago Chris Clark decided to drop his first name as he continually tweaked and changed his sound, making his records some of the most consistently interesting and innovative releases in the world of electronica.
With his latest album he's made more bold changes, probably the most immediately felt (and heard!) of his career. Clark's sound is changed to full throttle on this outing and we are loving it. This is way more four on the floor full on crazy dance party style than anything we've ever heard from him before, but still with such an interesting and unpredictable sound palette. While it taps a bit into 90's Aphex Twin and the more raging side of Kid 606, we still can hear Clark's great and eclectic touch in all of these songs. This is the soundtrack to a rave we'd love to spend all night, every night at. We gotta say this is making us want to do a hit of E and dance the night away, but what's awesome about the record is that it also appeals to those of us not too keen on the dance floor, but who still love pounding and driving electronic music that we can totally spazz out to.
Definitely a contender for electronic record of the year!
MPEG Stream: "New Year Storm"
MPEG Stream: "Mercy Sines"

CLARK Turning Dragon (Warp) 2lp 17.98
A few years ago Chris Clark decided to drop his first name as he continually tweaked and changed his sound, making his records some of the most consistently interesting and innovative releases in the world of electronica.
With his latest album he's made more bold changes, probably the most immediately felt (and heard!) of his career. Clark's sound is changed to full throttle on this outing and we are loving it. This is way more four on the floor full on crazy dance party style than anything we've ever heard from him before, but still with such an interesting and unpredictable sound palette. While it taps a bit into 90's Aphex Twin and the more raging side of Kid 606, we still can hear Clark's great and eclectic touch in all of these songs. This is the soundtrack to a rave we'd love to spend all night, every night at. We gotta say this is making us want to do a hit of E and dance the night away, but what's awesome about the record is that it also appeals to those of us not too keen on the dance floor, but who still love pounding and driving electronic music that we can totally spazz out to.
Definitely a contender for electronic record of the year!
MPEG Stream: "New Year Storm"
MPEG Stream: "Mercy Sines"

CLARK (AKA CHRIS CLARK) Body Riddle (Warp) cd 14.98
The mid to late '90s were a really exciting time for electronic music. Artists were emerging displaying endless possibilities for electronic music and laptops. Sadly more recently, many of those artists sort of just treaded water, while a new crop of wanna be's merely copy the Boards-Of-Aphex-Square-Autech-Plaid-Pusher of that golden era. Luckily there are still some folks committed to pushing the envelope, taking risks and releasing records that are challenging and weird. Chris Clark is one of them. He won our hearts with his debut which managed to fit perfectly with the refined Warp roster of the time (Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, etc.) while creating a totally distinct sound all his own. Since then he has taken some serious twists and turns but has yet to make a bad record. And while he has ditched his first name, the sound is still quite exciting and reminiscent of his earlier releases, all AQ faves.
Body Riddle is both melodic and challenging, diverse and flowing. We definitely get the feeling this album was mixed with headphone listeners in mind as its sonic scope is so dense and wide that the sounds constantly bounce back and forth between your ears. Not just dreamy. Not just pulsing. Not just melodic. It's a little bit of all of those, but very coherent and well thought out. Striking just the right balance between intelligent dance music for the mind and physical dance music for the body. One of the better electronica records to come our way in quite a while!
MPEG Stream: "Herr Bar"
MPEG Stream: "Herzog"

CLARK, CHRIS Ceramics Is The Bomb (Warp) cd ep 9.98
This is a strange turn for Chris Clark who was responsible for one of our favorite records of last year, the totally amazing Clarence Park. Gone are many of the things that made Clarence Park so engaging, which is not to say this isn't a cool record, because it is, it's just a little less unique. The sound owes heavily to 'Girl/Boy' era Aphex Twin. Skittery hyperactive lo-fi drum and bass with a gritty ambience (giving it a sort of antiquated feel) and spastic breakdowns. A lot less melodic than its predecessor, but in the place of melody is some new found electro spunk and manic dancefloor splatter.
MPEG Stream: "The Gavel"
MPEG Stream: "Slow Spines"

CLARK, CHRIS Ceramics Is The Bomb (Warp) 12" 9.98
This is a strange turn for Chris Clark who was responsible for one of our favorite records of last year, the totally amazing Clarence Park. Gone are many of the things that made Clarence Park so engaging, which is not to say this isn't a cool record, because it is, it's just a little less unique. The sound owes heavily to 'Girl/Boy' era Aphex Twin. Skittery hyperactive lo-fi drum and bass with a gritty ambience (giving it a sort of antiquated feel) and spastic breakdowns. A lot less melodic than its predecessor, but in the place of melody is some new found electro spunk and manic dancefloor splatter.

CLARK, CHRIS Clarence Park (Warp) cd 14.98
New on Warp, and fuck if this isn't the only glimmer of hope in the overcrowded and under-inspired world of electronica. The glitches and pops and Pole fallout are kept to a minimum here and instead, Clark uses actual sounds, unrecognizable as they may be, and makes beautiful, funky, funny, catchy and almost organic sounding electronica. Think Matmos with a less 'intellectual' bent, think Lesser with a less 'I-wanna-destroy-you' bent. Think Aphex Twin with a distinctly new coat of paint. This record, from the second I put it on, was so new and fresh sounding. Sure the new Autechre is 'different', but be honest, no huge leap was made. And I'm sure the new Boards of Canada will be great, but it probably won't be a big surprise either. 'Clarence Park' is easily the freshest sounding electronic record of the last year. Huge old school breakbeats are chopped up and scattered throughout a mine field of subsonic synth rumbles and bleeping Aphex Twin-like melodies, with occasional minor key melancholy flourishes. Crazy cut-ups and masteful editing collide with creative drum programming and skittery soundscapes. Playful, but not fey, pounding and relentless, but not mindlessly 'hardcore'. Really really great.
RealAudio clip: "Dogs"
RealAudio clip: "Bricks"

CLARK, CHRIS Empty the Bones of You (Warp) cd 16.98
A fine return for Clark, "Empty the Bones of You" will certainly be a relief to fans who loved Clark's first full-length "Clarence Park" and who were maybe a little disappointed by his interim EP. And no doubt it will win over some new converts as well. The tracks on "Empty" harken to a time, not too long ago, when Aphex Twin and Autechre ruled supreme; smart, playful and yet infinitely musical electronica. Smart and playful, the way Autechre could wrassle up some crunchy rhythms and construct eminently catchy melodies out of fairly unmelodic glitch and buzz, and musical in the way that Richard James' could turn jagged, stuttering freakouts into hooks that would stick in your head forever. Imagine the melodic elements of Boards of Canada or Bola, but with a harder rhythmic edge and a more organic sound palette. Really nice!
MPEG Stream: "Empty the Bones of You"
MPEG Stream: "Umbilical Hut"

CLARK, GENE With The Gosdin Brothers (Sundazed) cd 17.98

CLARK, TODD TAMANEND Nova Psychedelia (1975-1985) (Anopheles) 2cd 22.00
In a word: WEIRD. Man, listening to this we veered from thinking it was the best thing ever, to totally painful, and back again. The truth of course lies somewhere in between (and in each of us as individuals). But it's hard not to be intrigued by this, anyway... This Todd Tamanend Clark guy was (is) a psychedelic, avantgarde rock n' roller who toiled in obscurity for many many years though clearly he should at the very least have a cult following. Thankfully the diligent Anopheles label has put together this chronological collection of a large part of Mr. Clark's out-there output, and more folks will have a chance to appreciate what a few lucky collectors (and Mr. Clark's friends) must have been amazed and amused by for years! He's a bit of a Roky Erickson-like figure, though fortunately not so tragic.
Inspired by the comic books and sci-films of his childhood (he was born in 1952), Pennsylvanian part-American Indian Todd Tamanend Clark's musical career was perhaps destined for weirdness. Especially after seeing Monkee Mickey Dolenz playing a Moog on TV in 1968, the same year the United States Of America LP came out, both of which were life-changing musical experiences for Clark... his love of '60s garage psych (borne out by covers of the Electric Prunes and Paul Revere & The Raiders found here) warped into a realm of DIY electronics. Thus the list of synths and effects used on this 2cd set is a long one!! Yup, heavy doses of spacey synth and distorted garagey punk riffery (a '60s-ish Lightning Bolt meets Sun Ra??) are the norm here throughout Clark's varied output, which includes lengthy psychedelic epics, weird experiments in murky electronics, earnest songsmithery, and brash rockers. There's an atonal droning "outsider art" quality to a lot of this that will make and/or break it for most folks. The vocals are the toughest part... an over the top, slurred mix of Jim Morrison and Jandek, perhaps? All the weird poetry he's spouting sure goes with the freaky music even though you'll probably have no idea what's he on about. And with all the prog twists and haunted house synth noises going we're sure it makes perfect sense somehow. The earlier stuff at the beginning of the first disc is heavy on the primitive electronics (best example: the overwhelming 13 minute opening soundscape "March Of The Legion") and druggy vocal delivery, while later in the two-disc set, when we enter the '80s, the songs get more "pop"...in Clark's mind anyway. Things have tightened up a bit, though that doesn't preclude the appearance of a 14 minute track ("The Grim Rider") nor a fucked up, computerized version of the "Star Spangled Banner"! And the use of new wave '80s technology only makes things kitschier. If you dug the Happy Dragon-Band and Zolar X reissues, you might find this stuff to tickle the same fancies.
All the tracks are taken from Clark's various ultra-rare, self-released LPs and 7"s spanning the years 1975-1985, including all the material from such albums as New Gods: Aardvark Thru Zymurgy, We're Not Safe!, and Into The Vision, released under various names (The Eyes, Todd Clark Group, The Stars). He didn't do all of this alone, y'know. Over the course of these 33 tracks (150 minutes of music!!) you'll hear contributions from many of Clark's friends, and family too. In fact, a few famous names appear, with one track featuring the voice of William S. Burroughs and on others, instruments played by Cheetah Chrome of the Dead Boys and Pere Ubu's Allen Ravenstine!
With typical Anopheles throughness, this comes with a 20 page booklet stuffed with biographical information, photos, equipment lists, musician credits, and liner notes, including track-by-track comments from Clark himself.
Not everyone's gonna need/want all 150 minutes of this, to be honest. Could have been a short, more bearable "best of". But then again, WE want to hear it all. So maybe you do too. And you can always make your own best of after you've listened to the whole crazy shebang. We'll end this review the way it began, with a word it seems most AQ customers respond to well: WEIRD.
MPEG Stream: "Deathguard"
MPEG Stream: "X-Ray X-Tasy"
MPEG Stream: "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night"
MPEG Stream: "Death Hovers"

CLARK-HUTCHINSON A=MH2 (Sunbeam) 2cd 25.00
Heavy progressive electric raga psychedelia here folks!! And it's soooooo good. All the songs here are long (there's five of 'em, between 7:16 and 13:09 in length) and you'll only wish they were longer. Described as "a two-man, all-British electric symphony orchestra", this album was originally released in 1969 on Decca and is utter nirvana for those into psych headswirlers. The lead electric guitar on here is incredible (and the bongo playing isn't bad, either!). While this duo came out of the '60s British blues rock scene, Mick Hutchinson's guitar playing displays tripped-out, classically trained chops and certainly also a strong sitar influence... percussionist Andy Clark plays guitar at times too, and between them they switch back and forth on a number of instruments.
The first track, "Improvisation On A Modal Scale" has got a heavy-riffing acid folk sound, sounding like early Wishbone Ash, sitting crosslegged off on an Indian ashram, or Comus if they ever plugged in and cranked it up. "Acapulco Gold" (hmm, the only song here not given a technical musical title is named after marijuana!) follows in a more acoustic, Spanish-guitar flavored mode. Lovely. Then "Impromptu in 'E' Minor" is another mellow number, yet darker, incorporating tribal percussive throb and jazz-inflected piano improvisation. "Textures In 3/4" also has a moody, jazzy vibe, with some saxophone coloration, and of course extended electric guitar improv, gorgeous and glorious. Very krautrocky, stuff that fans of Amon Duul II and Agitation Free would certainly love. And then Hutchinson's playing gets even more sitar-y on the epic "Improvisation On An Indian Scale", the track that wraps up this amazing album of Eastern-tinged, psychedelic instrumental interplay. He's endlessly spinning out slippery, sinuous melodies over a quietly galloping beat that brings to mind Spaghetti Western soundtracks. Wow. We'd been wanting to list this for a long time, but the previous cd edition on Repertoire has been out of print for years and years. Stoked are we that Sunbeam has reissued it again, on compact disc and vinyl, both versions coming with an entire bonus disc to boot!
That second disc, however, is full-on 12-bar blues rock, total chooglin' boogie stuff, with song titles like "Bad Loser" and "Someone's Been At My Woman". So... maybe for blues lovers only, that one. If you're really into Clapton/Cream and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. But it's just a bonus disc, the A=MH2 album on disc one is worth the price of the package alone. And the guitar playing on the blues disc is of course ace.
It always kinda seems like the British blues rock bands, the ones we really like anyway, we like 'em especially for the one album they did where they got away from the basic blues template (stuff they might have done really well) and weirded out, got all beardistic and beyond-blues improvisational and Eastern and freaky and proggy. Say, Steamhammer's Speech. Or the Groundhogs' Split. There's always one. In this case, it was Clark-Hutchinson's debut, A=MH2. But, beforehand they'd been way more bluesy, as that bonus disc here proves (it's material from their unreleased -first- first recording sessions in March of '69, laid down just a couple months prior to the two days in the studio they spent recording their actual debut).
EVERYONE we play A=MH2 for, or who hears it in the store, has been blown away. You know how the "ragadelic" acoustic folk guitar playing of folks today like Jack Rose and James Blackshaw is something we love? If you like that sort of thing too but want it a bit more druggily psych-rock, Clark-Hutchinson doing it electric way back when should satisfy! So very recommended (along with another obscure classic of the era, by T2, also reviewed this list).
MPEG Stream: "Improvisation On A Modal Scale"
MPEG Stream: "Impromptu in 'E' Minor"
MPEG Stream: "Improvisation On An Indian Scale"
MPEG Stream: "Crow Jane [from bonus disc]"

CLARK-HUTCHINSON A=MH2 (Sunbeam) 2lp 34.00
Heavy progressive electric raga psychedelia here folks!! And it's soooooo good. All the songs here are long (there's five of 'em, between 7:16 and 13:09 in length) and you'll only wish they were longer. Described as "a two-man, all-British electric symphony orchestra", this album was originally released in 1969 on Decca and is utter nirvana for those into psych headswirlers. The lead electric guitar on here is incredible (and the bongo playing isn't bad, either!). While this duo came out of the '60s British blues rock scene, Mick Hutchinson's guitar playing displays tripped-out, classically trained chops and certainly also a strong sitar influence... percussionist Andy Clark plays guitar at times too, and between them they switch back and forth on a number of instruments.
The first track, "Improvisation On A Modal Scale" has got a heavy-riffing acid folk sound, sounding like early Wishbone Ash, sitting crosslegged off on an Indian ashram, or Comus if they ever plugged in and cranked it up. "Acapulco Gold" (hmm, the only song here not given a technical musical title is named after marijuana!) follows in a more acoustic, Spanish-guitar flavored mode. Lovely. Then "Impromptu in 'E' Minor" is another mellow number, yet darker, incorporating tribal percussive throb and jazz-inflected piano improvisation. "Textures In 3/4" also has a moody, jazzy vibe, with some saxophone coloration, and of course extended electric guitar improv, gorgeous and glorious. Very krautrocky, stuff that fans of Amon Duul II and Agitation Free would certainly love. And then Hutchinson's playing gets even more sitar-y on the epic "Improvisation On An Indian Scale", the track that wraps up this amazing album of Eastern-tinged, psychedelic instrumental interplay. He's endlessly spinning out slippery, sinuous melodies over a quietly galloping beat that brings to mind Spaghetti Western soundtracks. Wow. We'd been wanting to list this for a long time, but the previous cd edition on Repertoire has been out of print for years and years. Stoked are we that Sunbeam has reissued it again, on compact disc and vinyl, both versions coming with an entire bonus disc to boot!
That second disc, however, is full-on 12-bar blues rock, total chooglin' boogie stuff, with song titles like "Bad Loser" and "Someone's Been At My Woman". So... maybe for blues lovers only, that one. If you're really into Clapton/Cream and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. But it's just a bonus disc, the A=MH2 album on disc one is worth the price of the package alone. And the guitar playing on the blues disc is of course ace.
It always kinda seems like the British blues rock bands, the ones we really like anyway, we like 'em especially for the one album they did where they got away from the basic blues template (stuff they might have done really well) and weirded out, got all beardistic and beyond-blues improvisational and Eastern and freaky and proggy. Say, Steamhammer's Speech. Or the Groundhogs' Split. There's always one. In this case, it was Clark-Hutchinson's debut, A=MH2. But, beforehand they'd been way more bluesy, as that bonus disc here proves (it's material from their unreleased -first- first recording sessions in March of '69, laid down just a couple months prior to the two days in the studio they spent recording their actual debut).
EVERYONE we play A=MH2 for, or who hears it in the store, has been blown away. You know how the "ragadelic" acoustic folk guitar playing of folks today like Jack Rose and James Blackshaw is something we love? If you like that sort of thing too but want it a bit more druggily psych-rock, Clark-Hutchinson doing it electric way back when should satisfy! So very recommended (along with another obscure classic of the era, by T2, also reviewed this list).
MPEG Stream: "Improvisation On A Modal Scale"
MPEG Stream: "Impromptu in 'E' Minor"
MPEG Stream: "Improvisation On An Indian Scale"
MPEG Stream: "Crow Jane [from bonus disc]"

CLARKE, DAVE I Love Techno (Music Man) cd 16.98
Who would have thought we'd be freaking out over a compilation called I (Heart) Techno, 'cuz, barring some particular strains of techno, we (or more specifically in this case, I) don't actually (Heart) techno all that much. Chain Reaction, Kompakt, Pop Ambient, Plastikman, Gas, Thomas Brinkmann, Richie Hawtin, are all great, sure, but as a whole, techno has to be really fucked up and weird, murky and mysterious and minimal to hit the spot. But holy shit if this stuff doesn't totally destroy. Especially the first track. And to be honest, we had this comp in stock, and had been listening to the first track and ONLY the first track for months. It is the minimal techno jam of the year. Never heard of Christian Smith or John Selway but their track "Coming Storm" is fucking perfect. It had us wishing they had done a Villalobos and stretched it out to fill a whole cd. But that's what the repeat button is for.
So we eventually did listen to the whole comp, and it's really really great, but even so, the first track is SO GODDAMN GOOD that even if the rest of the comp was total and complete shit, it would be well worth highlighting and spending $15 bucks on.
So what has us all in a tizzy? It's hard to explain really, it's minimal, but not murky, the rhythm is loud and hard, the beats thick and crunchy, but right out of the gate, it's like two beats all tangled up, slightly out of phase, so it sounds like techno galloping, as the two beats compete, other bits of percussion join in, and the sound somehow manages to get more busy and chaotic, but without losing the minimalism that makes it so appealing. Like Plastikman and Thomas Brinkmann remixed by Oval, but then housed up just a bit. Or imagine a way heavier less murky but no less Heroin-y Chain Reaction. Eventually, some throbbing bass joins the melee, and it's downright grooving, but still in a weird haunting minimal abstract way. Female vocals drift into the picture, but they're not diva style, they're cold and clinical, an alien sonar throb offers a melodic counterpoint to her chilling sung spoken vocals, smoothly morphing into the next trackŠ
Phew. Before we go one, and talk about just how goddamn good this whole comp is, let us again stress how amazing that first track is, and how badly we NEED to hear more from these guys. Okay, on with the rest of the review.
Since it's a mix, the first few tracks seamlessly morph from the super minimal opener, gradually shifting, the house elements becoming more and more pronounced, but everything so static and hypnotic, that you almost don't notice the change until you're 3 or 4 tracks in. Raudive's "Magnetic" is the perfect follow up to "Coming Storm", a simple melody and rhythm looped over and over and over, various other rhythmic bits and strange electronic squelches joining the fray, before dropping out again, and leaving just the skeletal framework, and those haunting female vocals again. By three or four tracks in, we're definitely in more traditional house territory, but the sounds are so alien and repetitive, it's pretty mesmerizing. And definitely has us reconsidering our non-love of most house music. The whole rest of the disc, while not reaching the pinnacle of the opener, or even the follow up, still retains a certain cold droning hypnotic quality that is pretty hard to resist. The disc finishes off with "The Same" by the problematically monickered Velvet Underwear, who offer up a killer slab of chilled euro disco electro house, the main melody looped amidst huge bass throbs and crunchy crumbling synths, over which, the vocalist, who sounds like a frigid but VERY sexy European dominatrix, delivers her lyrics in a cool aloof monotone, eventually dropping out and letting the track unwind in a killer coda of buzzing serpentine synths and throbbing basslines. So awesome, even (and maybe especially) for the house-phobic and dancefloor averse amongst you...
MPEG Stream: CHRISTIAN SMITH & JOHN SELWAY "Coming Storm"
MPEG Stream: RAUDIVE "Magnetic"
MPEG Stream: VELVET UNDERWEAR "The Same"